Electrical socket



Feb. 16, 1932. M, M, CLAYTON 1,845,480

ELECTRICAL SOCKET Filed April 14, 1928.

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Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mm X. CLAYTON, BAD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY IESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL ELECTRIC PRODUCTS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE ELECTRICAL SOCKET Application fled April 14, 1988. Serial Io. 270,018.

The invention has to do with sockets for electric lamps, etc., of the well known type, which are usually made of porcelain or other non-conducting substances, molded to form ll, while in a plastic state and then baked into a hard body. Such sockets are usually mounted upon the face of a supporting plate having an opening which receives the rear end portion of the socket, and the body of the .1 socket is provided with integral ears or lugs which bear against the outer face of the supporting plate, to which they are secured by means of screws assed through the lugs and the plate. Considerable losses are incurred by breakage of these lugs in shipment and handling of the sockets, as well as in screwing them into lace upon their supports. It is the object orthe'present invention to provide a socket of a form less susceptible to breakage, which requires less porcelain, is

less expensive to manufacture, may be easily secured in place, and is of neat and attractive appearance.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the socket secured to its support, a portion of its rear edge being shown as broken away, and Figure 2 is a rear end view.

The suplpprting plate 1 ma be the cover of an outlet- 1!, or other member of a wiring system, or any suitable sup ort, rovided with an opening 2, through w ich t e barrel or body-portion 5- of the socket is projected from the rear until the projecting rear flange or shoulder 4 of the socket bears against the rear wall of the plate around the opening 2, in which position the socket is secured to its supporting plate by any suitable means. For securing the socket to the plate I prefer to use the lugs 5, each having the oppositely bent fingers or ears 6 and 7 the car 6 being bent inwardly to bear upon the rear face of the shoulder 4 of the socket, and the ear 7 being bent outwardly adjacent to the rear face of the plate 1, to WhlCl'l it is secured by a screw 8 w ich passes through a hole in the plate and works in a threaded hole in the ear In order to prevent turning of the socket it is preferred to form seats 9 for the fingers or ears 6 in the rear face of the shoulder 4.

If these seats 9 are made slightly wider than the ears 6, there will be obtained a slight freedom of movement which will tend to prevent breakage of the socket in case of a blow against its supporting plate.

It will be noted that the fingers or ears 6 of the clam s 5 are shown as being relatively narrow wit respect to the periphery of the shoulders 4 of the socket, so that the width of the bearing surface of each finger upon the rear face of the shoulder is small, and, as last above stated, less than the width of the seats 9 when the latter are present. There is thus provided a capacity of a slight swiveling movement of the socket under stresses or jars, and consequent avoidance of breakage.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a support havin an orifice, of an electrical socket projecte through said orifice from the rear, an integral peripheral shoulder on said socket bearmg against the rear face of the support, seats formed in said shoulder, clamps seated in the seats, and means for securing the clamps to the support.

2. The combination with a support having an orifice, of an electrical socket projected through said orifice from the rear, an integral peripheral shoulder on said socket hearing a inst the rear faceof the support, a lura ity of clamps, seats for the clamps ormed in the shoulder of width sufiicient to permit limited lateral movement of the clamps therein, and means for securing the clamgs to the support,

3. he combination with a support having an orifice, of anelectrical socket projected through said orifice from the rear, an integral peripheral shoulder on said socket bearmg against the rear face of the support, and a pair of oppositely disposed clam )5 each having a relatively narrow finger caring upon the rear face of said shoulder, and means securing said clam s to said support.

In testimony whereof have hereunto set In hand.

y MARTIN M. CLAYTON. 

